News Blog and Discussion - January 12th, 2012

Tebow has made a public spectacle of his religiosity. Genuflecting on the field in a move that has become known as “Tebowing“. Filming a documentary about his biblical indoctrination as a home-schooled boy by his missionary parents. Proselytizing bible verses in his eye-black. Leading prayers on the field. Tebow has pushed his personal faith into the public discourse.

Tim Tebow seems like a nice guy. Seems to be a very positive, generous, caring man. A positive role model for the kids of today. He credits the Bible for informing his morality and defining his clean lifestyle. But as he is someone who holds the bible as the literal and true word of god, there is a dark side that we do not hear about. Tim publicly espouses the biblical virtues of kindness and forgiveness, but he must also be harboring the dark twisted parts of the bible underneath.

Tim Tebow follows ALL of the bible, and regards it as the literal word and law of God. And, like the Taliban, he wants God’s law to be human law (Sharia!).

The Faith of Tim Tebow:

The Holy Bible is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. Therefore all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.

Judeo-Christian values are the source and support of our rights and freedoms

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.

All humans are sinners, regardless of good deeds or saintly acts. Only accepting Tebow’s faith will keep them from eternal damnation.

Hell is a real and literal place. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment.

Non-biblical philosophies, including secular humanism, are propagated by Satan.

Evolution is false; Creationism should be taught in public schools.

Adam and Eve are the parents of all humanity.

God’s plan for marriage and sexual intimacy – one man, and one woman, for life. Homosexuality is not a “valid alternative lifestyle.” The Bible condemns it as sin.

Homosexuality is a sin, but it can be forgiven if the homosexual is “cured”.

A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband

Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage.

Abortion is a sin, the murder of a being created in God’s image, and should be illegal.

Genetic manipulation, cloning, and embryonic stem cell research violate the sanctity of human life, and should be forbidden.

Christians should oppose all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography.

Pornography is a sin, is dangerous, and is a major contributor to deviant sexual behavior.

The press has given Tim an open mic to opine on abortion, virtue, and piety. When will reporters ask Tim to share his views on gay marriage, the subservience of women, the power of the devil, were the dinosaurs too big for the Ark, or the age of the planet?

His overt Christianity has resounded with the American public, most of whom claim to be Christian. The truth is that Tim Tebow’s medieval, fundamentalist, demon fearing, tongues speaking, Christ riding a dinosaur, beliefs are the antithesis of what most Americans believe. In fact, Tim Tebow thinks YOU (and most Americans) are going to Hell.

Tim was home-schooled, forced to memorize bible passages, and indoctrinated with fundamentalist ideology like a Wahhabi boy in a madrasas. If a guy in a robe “Tebowed” in the aisle of a plane, he would get tackled by an air marshal. He shares the same fervor and faith as women’s clinic bombers and the God Hates Fags people.

Why should we treat Tim Tebow any different than any other radical fundamentalist?

“Nothing to kill or die for/And all religion’s true,”. The original lyrics read “Nothing to kill or die for/And no religion too.”

This made news and stirred up controversy when loyal Lennon fans were outraged that the lyrics, and the meaning, were changed.

Coincidentally, this week I saw a similarly misguided notion on a bumper sticker on the back of a shiny white new Volvo wagon:

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another. - Jonathan Swift

John Lennon had it right. If all religions were true, and if everyone practiced their faith to the max, the world would be a much crazier and more violent place. The violence of mere mortals driven by belief is already the prime mover of death and oppression.

If religions were actually TRUE, there would be literal Holy Wars with mythological and biblical deities leading human armies in scorched earth destruction of mankind. Imagine if the video games Age of Mythology, or God or War came to life! Hell on earth, so to speak. Or maybe hilarity on earth when the Sumerian god Gozer returns.

Thanks the gods that they cannot meddle with the lives of humans. If only their adherents would follow suit.

A group benignly called the American Family Association put together a handy Naughty or Nice list of major retailers and their stances on Christmas. I am American, I have a family, and I love Xmas! Digging deeper I found that the AFA used to be called the National Federation for Decency, and is a fundamentalist evangelical Christian activist organization. In their words, the AFA seeks to restrain evil, promote Christ’s grace, and “believes that a culture based on biblical truth best serves the well-being of our nation and our families.”

Not really sure what all that stuff has to do with Xmas, but there you go.

By the terms of the Naughty or Nice list, MindPosts would make the Nice list. Virgins and barn babies are not required by the AFA; their picks are based on a company’s use/avoidance/ ban of the word “CHRISTMAS” in advertising. Using holiday imagery but failing to use the word is seen as censoring Christmas by the AFA.

Frankly, I think it is cowardly political correctness, or mamby pamby over-inclusiveness to shy away from the word “Christmas”. This list calls out the wimps. On the other side of the coin, some of the NICE companies might be crazy Fundies that secretly want to convert you. Now you have the battle lines and can attack your shopping fully informed.

News Blog and Discussion - November 16th, 2011

It is rare to find an objectivist minded character on TV. Ron Swanson, is the Director of the Parks and Recreation for Pawnee, Indiana is such a man. NBS’s sitcom Parks and Recreation is a mockumentary set in a small town civic bureaucracy headed by a cranky, anti-government libertarian named Ron Swanson, played by actor Nick Offerman.

According to Ron’s bio on the City of Pawnee website: “Ron enjoys woodworking, breakfast meats, and the works of Ayn Rand.”

Nick Offerman plays Ron with ironic relish at the comedic situation of a man battling government from within. The show is quirky and fun, is smart and has warmth to it.

Below are some classic Ron Swanson quotes:

“I have been developing the Swanson Pyramid of Greatness for years. It’s a perfectly calibrated recipe for maximum personal achievement. Categories include: Capitalism, God’s way of determining who is smart, and who is poor. Crying, acceptable at funerals and the Grand Canyon. Rage. Poise. Property rights. Fish, for sport only, not for meat. Fish meat is practically a vegetable.”

“When I walked in this morning I saw that the flag was at half mast, I though, ‘All right, another bureaucrat ate it!’”

(On fishing) “It’s relaxing like yoga, except I still get to kill something.”

“It’s never too early to learn that the government is a greedy piglet that suckles on a taxpayer’s teet until they have sore, chapped nipples. I’m gonna need a different metaphor to give this nine year old.”

“I’ve been quite open about this around the office: I don’t want this parks department to build any parks, because I don’t believe in government. I think that all government is a waste of taxpayer money. My dream is to have the park system privatized and run entirely for profit by corporations, like Chuck E. Cheese. They have an impeccable business model. I would rather work for Chuck E. Cheese.”

“I got my first job when I was 9. Worked at a sheet metal factory. In two weeks, I was running the floor. Child labor laws are ruining this country.”

News Blog and Discussion - November 9th, 2011

This month, lululemon, the upscale and upbeat ladies athletic wear shops, put “Who is John Galt?” on all their shopping bags.

Until today, when I saw a bag on the BART train in San Francisco, I never thought of visiting a lululemon store. I have never had the need for, nor do I reckon they sell, XXL men’s yoga tights. I went to the web site to see what the bags were all about, and found this post on the lululemon company blog. The blog tells of the impact the novel Atlas Shrugged had on lululemon founder Chip Wilson when he was young, and how the philosophy has guieded his corporate vision.

I looked up the nearest store, and walked the 3 blocks to lululemon at 327 Grant Ave in SF. I bought a few sports hairbands for my daughters, and the friendly clerk gave me a Galt bag for each. And now my girls have new hair bands AND the coolest lunch sacks in town.

Though I am pretty excited to see a reference to Atlas Shrugged placed on a mass market shopping bag, not all the fans of lululemon are as pleased. In the comments on the blog page, there are lines line:

Package Republican propaganda in a $100 pair of pants and call it yoga.

You can rest assured that I and many others who naively associated the yoga movement with progressive values and humanity will never set foot in your Lululemon stores again.

The good news is that less than 10% of the over 110 comments on the lulu blog are negative. The vast majority understand that individualism and striving for greatness are good things and are why lulu has been so successful.

It can be dicey to mix philosophy with commerce. But as capitalists and entrepreneurs, our philosophy is why we are in business. I am reminded, though, of what happened a few years ago when Whole Foods CEO John Mackey spoke out against ObamaCare and proposed free market solutions. Mackey is also an admirer of Ayn Rand. Some Whole Food’s customers (fueled by the Unions) were outraged, and tried to organize a boycott. Today, WF stock is doing better than ever.

Head over to your nearest lululemon, and for less than twenty bucks you can get a few hair doodles for your family (or $88 yoga pants!), and the coolest Atlas Shrugged lunch bags EVAR!

News Blog and Discussion - March 31st, 2011

Who is Hank Rearden? He is the steel industrialist who invents an amazing new alloy in Atlas Shrugged. As one of the main characters, we see the effects of the Strike and the mandates of government thugs through his eyes and actions.

These wallpapers feature the official Rearden Steel logo used in the upcoming movie. Check out the movie Atlas Shrugged Part 1 on April 15th!

How to use a wallpaper: Open the link above that suits your screen resolution. Right-click on the image (if using Mac, press Control while clicking on the image) then in the menu select “Set as Desktop Background”, or similar language.

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How to use a wallpaper: Open the link above taht suits your screen resolution. Right-click on the image (if using Mac, press Control while clicking on the image) then in the menu select “Set as Desktop Background”, or similar language.